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World J Microbiol Biotechnol (2010) 26:19411948 DOI 10.1007/s11274-010-0374-y
ORIGINAL PAPER
A comparative study of endophytic and epiphytic fungal association with leaf of Eucalyptus citriodora Hook., and their antimicrobial activity
Ravindra N. Kharwar Surendra K. Gond
Anuj Kumar Ashish Mishra
Received: 17 July 2009 / Accepted: 27 February 2010 / Published online: 21 March 2010 Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2010
Abstract Eucalyptus citriodora Hook, is frequently cultivated tree in India for its wood and medicinal usages. The endophytic and epiphytic fungi were estimated from healthy leaves of E. citriodora growing in the premise of Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India. A total of 33 fungal species were isolated from leaf segments. Of 33 taxa, 20 were recorded as endophytes, while 22 as epiphytes. Nine, out of 33 species were found to be common in leaf tissues and surfaces (Alternaria alternata, Aspergillus fumigatus, A. terreus, Cladosporium cladosporioides, Drechslera rostrata, Humicola grisea, Nigrospora oryzae, Penicillium cristata, and Pestalotia sp.). Out of 478 fungal isolates, 279 were epiphytic while only 199 were endophytic. Most isolates were anamorphic lamentous fungi which often dont produce sexual spores. The Sorensens index of similarity between endophytes and epiphytes (leaf surface colonizers) was found to be at0.300. Diversity index of fungal species was higher in endophytes than epiphytes. The frequency of colonization differs greatly in both myco-populations. Cladosporium cladosporioides (26%) was dominant species on leaf surfaces while Botrytis cinerea (10.5%) was dominant in leaf tissues. Out of 16 endophytic isolates evaluated for antagonistic test, 8 (50%) gave the antagonistic activity against variety of fungi representing pathogens to both humans and plants.
Keywords Endophytic fungi Phyllosphere
Antimicrobials Cladosporium cladosporioides
Introduction
Plants are colonized by microorganisms from phyllosphere to rhizosphere. Phyllosphere covers leaf surface and its interior (Carroll et al. 1977). Epiphytic microorganisms are found on the surfaces while endophytes colonize the inner tissues of the host organ. Epiphytes are microorganisms that either reside permanently or casually onto the surface of plants (Langvad 1980). Resident epiphytes can multiply and grow on the surface of healthy leaves without making any adverse effect to the host, while casual epiphytes land on the healthy leaf surface in the form of spores, mycelia but can not grow like residents (Leben 1965). Endophytes are those microorganisms residing inside the plant tissues without...